Quiz: The Common Phrases Quiz : HowStuffWorks

The Common Phrases Quiz

EDUCATION

By: Kennita Leon

6 Min Quiz

Image: Getty Images / Blend Images / Marc Romanelli

About This Quiz

The English language is a funny thing, not only because it's very complicated- just ask the foreigners- but also because we say things that don't make sense while making perfect sense. In which other language can you tell a person to break a limb and they respond with a smile and a thank you? And while we're not sure why or how phrases came to be, we are thankful for their presence, because they do make speaking more fun.

And we're about to have some fun in this quiz by asking you what some common phrases mean. We'll ask you a question about how a sentence or question should be phrased and it'll be your job to choose the idiom or figure of speech that does just that. We'll talk about breaking legs, costing arms and legs, letting cats go free and spilling some beans. If you can answer enough of our questions to pass this quiz, we'll crown you an English expert.

So, if you'd like to prove to us that you know your phrases as well as you think you do, it's time to start answering our questions.

Which of these phrases mean to joke with someone?

Run out of steam

When pigs fly

Pulling one's leg

Put a sock in it

Someone who is teasing or joking with someone may use this phrase to let that person know that they are only joking around. Someone who is unsure if a joke or prank is true may use the phrase to find out if they are being tricked by saying, "quit pulling my leg."

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Which do you think refers to someone making a decision or move?

The ball is in your court.

When it rains, it pours.

Smell something fishy

Pull the plug

Originating from a sporting perspective, this common idiom means that responsibility has now been passed to someone. The ball represents an action or decision, while ‘your court' would mean that it is up to that person to decide what they will do.

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Can you tell us which phrase drives home the meaning of hard work?

Smell something fishy

You are what you eat.

A chip on your shoulder

No pain, no gain.

A mantra that means in order to achieve something of higher quality may it be in fitness, lifestyle or education, it is necessary to put one's self through a measure of pain and suffering to attain greatness.

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Which phrase refers to something that isn't very valuable?

A chip on your shoulder

A doubting Thomas

A dime a dozen

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

The value of a dime is seen as worthless, and the dozen refers to a large amount. Therefore, when this common phrase is used, it means there are many of a certain item, which is probably cheap to acquire, making it not very valuable or special.

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What must you not do if you want to keep a secret?

When it rains, it pours.

Spill the beans

When pigs fly

Pull the plug

When a secret is revealed, this is referred to as spilling the beans. Spilling the beans or revealing a secret may happen accidentally or that person may do it intentionally with that information being revealed prematurely and may even lead to spoiling a surprise.

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Completing more than one task at a time is a great accomplishment. Which phrase coveys that?

Kill two birds with one stone

A doubting Thomas

You are what you eat.

The whole nine yards

When a single action is used to complete two tasks at the same time, saving time, energy and effort, this term can be referenced. It can also be used in problem-solving and sharing of resources.

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How would you say you're not feeling well?

Under the weather

A chip on your shoulder

When pigs fly

On pins and needles

This phrase is commonly used when one is feeling ill or sick. It is thought to be derived from the effect that the weather can have on an individual's health. For instance, getting caught in the rain can cause someone to have the flu.

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Which of the following phrases say that advanced planning yields good results?

Pull the plug

The early bird gets the worm.

When it rains, it pours.

Turn a blind eye

This phrase makes reference to achieving success through early planning and early starts. The worm represents an achievement and the bird represents the individual. To achieve a goal, that individual should start as soon as possible.

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Do you know which option conveys how easy something is?

Turn a blind eye

A drop in the bucket

A piece of cake

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

To say something is a piece of cake means that a task is easy to accomplish. Just like a cake is easy to slice into to retrieve a piece, something can be easily done when this common phrase is used.

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Which is another way of asking someone what's on their mind?

Smell something fishy

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

A penny for your thoughts

A drop in the bucket

This phrase can be told to someone who is in quiet reflection when an individual would like to know what that person is thinking. It is another way of asking, "What's on your mind?"

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Which of the following actions is said when an unpleasant act must be done?

Bite the bullet.

Put a sock in it.

Run out of steam

Over my dead body

When someone has to accept or perform an unpleasant act, usually after initially hesitating. The history behind this term is said to be derived from the practice of having a patient bite down on a bullet to cope with the extreme pain of a surgical procedure.

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How would you tell someone that something really isn't that difficult?

Over my dead body

It's not rocket science.

A chip on your shoulder

When pigs fly

The concept of rocket science is one that is viewed as being extremely difficult to comprehend or perform. This phrase means that whatever action or level of understanding is needed is not at all difficult.

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Which of the following phrases is synonymous with having patience?

Good things come to those who wait.

You are what you eat.

No room to swing a cat

A doubting Thomas

Promoting the virtue of having patience, this phrase looks to remind individuals that having patience is the key to achieving good things. It also solidifies that patience will be rewarded.

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Which phrase below means to not presume something until it's truly over?

On pins and needles

It's not over till the fat lady sings.

A doubting Thomas

Make no bones about it.

A stereotypical opera involves a fat lady singing to signify the end of the proceeding. This term, therefore, means that while an activity is going on, one should not predict or presume the end result, until it is indeed over.

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How do you tell someone you have more important things to handle?

You are what you eat.

A drop in the bucket

Smell something fishy

Have bigger fish to fry

To give something more importance over something else. When something is a waste of time and keeps someone from engaging in other tasks or actions that are deemed more valuable, this phrase can be used.

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Which option is a very strange and somewhat harsh way of saying "good luck"?

Break a leg.

Like a chicken with its head cut off

Turn a blind eye

When it rains, it pours.

Coming out of the theater realm, this phrase is a way to wish someone good luck. Superstition plays a major role in this phrase; it was believed that to wish someone "good luck" before going on stage would cause their downfall.

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How would you tell someone that they better be careful, or they'll risk your wrath?

On thin ice

Put a sock in it.

Run out of steam

Pull the plug.

To be on thin ice means that an individual is in a risky situation where any wrong move can result in unpleasant circumstances. The thinness of the ice represents the shaky ground that an individual is walking on and the weight of the decision made can make that individual break through the ice and fall into cold water.

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What do you do when you want to cut out the unnecessary details?

Like a chicken with its head cut off

Make no bones about it

Make a long story short

Know the ropes

Leaving out non-essential parts of a story to get to the point or to get to the end of the story is what this common phrase is about. In essence, it means to summarize the story.

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How you say you're going to bed?

On pins and needles

Turn a blind eye

Hit the sack

When it rains, it pours.

If this phrase is thrown around, it means that an individual is tired. Hitting the sack means that someone wants to go to sleep, or wants to find themselves in a bed.

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Which of the options is basically saying that having everything your way is not possible?

You are what you eat.

Can't have your cake and eat it too

Over my dead body

Pull the plug

If someone eats their cake, they no longer have it anymore, so it simply means that a choice must be made. If an individual is struggling between decisions, this phrase is used to let them know that there can only be one choice.

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Which phrase is saying that similar people tend to hang out with each other?

A doubting Thomas

When pigs fly

Birds of a feather flock together.

A chip on your shoulder

It refers to people who have similar traits or tastes in similar things andcharacteristics associated with each other. This common phrase gets inspiration from nature, that shows birds of the same species group together.

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How would you convey that you're starting from scratch?

Turn a blind eye

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Going back to the drawing board

The whole nine yards

Having to come up with a new idea, after the initial one is viewed to have flaws or does not meet expectations. The drawing board is a figurative term to mean that new ideas and plans need to be drawn, written or produced.

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This term also refers to telling a secret. Which is it?

Put a sock in it.

Run out of steam

The whole nine yards

Let the cat out of the bag.

This phrase can be used interchangeably with ‘spilling the beans' because the two have the same meaning. To let the cat out of the bag means to reveal a secret, usually unintentionally.

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What would you happily mutter right right before you leave work?

Run out of steam

Call it a day

When it rains, it pours.

Smell something fishy

Concerning the working environment, this phrase is used when all energy is gone and individuals engaging in an activity decide to end and take a needed rest. This phrase can be used when training for a sport, practicing for theater, decorating a cake, or just about any activity.

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How would you say someone is being a bit frosty with you?

Giving the cold shoulder

On pins and needles

A drop in the bucket

Over my dead body

A deliberate attempt to stop being friendly toward someone or to start ignoring someone is referred to as giving a cold shoulder. This act of disregarding someone can usually leave the person wondering what brought on this sudden change in behavior.

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Which phrase shows that two dissimilar items should not be measured on the same scale?

Comparing apples to oranges

A chip on your shoulder

You are what you eat.

A doubting Thomas

When an item or group of items are compared that have no comparable qualities about them. The two very different fruits are seen as incomparable and this common phrase is used to highlight the differences between two groups of things.

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Which of these would you say just before giving up on something or someone?

This is the last straw.

Put a sock in it.

No room to swing a cat

A drop in the bucket

After many bouts of irritation, annoyance or frustration, this phrase is used to signify that an action has crossed the boundaries. It's the final problem that breaks someone down, makes someone lose their patience and pushes that person beyond their limit.

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Which phrase is used to describe an initially bad experience which yields great results?

Put a sock in it.

A blessing in disguise

Pull the plug

Run out of steam

When an event or a set of circumstances that seem unlucky, like being late for work, losing a coin toss or missing a bus, turns out to have good results in the end.

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What's a pretty morbid way of saying something is expensive?

You are what you eat.

A doubting Thomas

Costs an arm and a leg

A chip on your shoulder

No one would consider selling their arm or their leg because these body parts are seen as extremely valuable. Therefore, when something is said to cost an arm and a leg, it means that it is very expensive.

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How would one say that they'll judge you innocent until proven guilty?

The benefit of the doubt

Turn a blind eye

When pigs fly

The whole nine yards

To believe that someone is telling the truth or to retain a state of neutral opinion about an individual until all the facts of a situation are presented. In essence, to believe that person is honest.

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What's a fun way of saying someone is stalling?

Smell something fishy

When it rains, it pours.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Beat around the bush

This is the opposite of the common phrase, "making a long story short." When beating around the bush, someone is avoiding the core details of a subject and discussing all irrelevant matters rather than pertinent issues.

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How would you say that something happens very rarely?

When pigs fly

Like a chicken with its head cut off

Make no bones about it

Once in a blue moon

This phrase is used to signify a rare occurrence. Since blue moons have wide gaps of time between them, this phrase is used to show time and the frequency, or lack of frequency, of an occurrence.

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Of the following, which means to spoil something?

A drop in the bucket

Turn a blind eye

You are what you eat.

Rain on your parade

This phrase simply means to spoil something for someone. A parade is viewed as a happy celebration, but with rain or bad weather entering the picture, this could put a damper on the festivities. This phrase can be used to spoil someone's ideas, plans, attire or anything in which they try to engage.

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Wasting your time is never a good feeling. Which phrase reflects that?

Over my dead body

No room to swing a cat

Barking up the wrong tree

The whole nine yards

When someone keeps pursuing a certain path trying to get an outcome, but that path, action or choice is a wrong one. This term means their efforts are being wasted because they are expending their energy on the wrong thing.

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Which of the options below points to something that just cannot be ignored?

Make no bones about it.

The whole nine yards

The elephant in the room

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

When there is an obvious problem to which no one is paying attention. It is essentially an unpleasant situation or discussion that no one is willing to address.

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